- Crying. And not just whining crying. No, instead she brings out the streaming tears and the quivering lip. She cries when she wakes up from a nap. She cries when she goes down for a nap. She cries when she is put in her car seat or taken out of it. And of course she bawls when I put her down or walk away for a minute. She even cries when DH picks her up instead of me.
- Refusing to eat. I try to follow the advice and give Cameron 4 foods, two of which she will usually eat and two new/nutritious options. I usually give her the carb/veggie options first because if I put the fruit down then she would eat nothing but the fruit. But of course Cameron is smart and whines and cries and after about 10 minutes of waiting for her to eat the non-fruit option I put the fruit down on her tray. She scarves it down and whines for more. So obviously the girl is hungry!
- Throwing food. Related to refusing to eat. If Cameron doesn't like the food it becomes a projectile launched at the ground. And the girl has an arm. Dropped food is no longer relegated to the immediate vicinity. Charlie likes that because he is a wimp and refuses to come over the wood laminate floor and eat the dropped food right around the high chair. We say "no" in firm voices but Cameron will just laugh and do it again.
The food issues in particular are concerning for me because we're trying to eliminate bottles. We've successfully brought her down to 3 bottles a day and I have a feeling that I can remove the breakfast bottle next week. That still leaves the 3 PM and the 6:30 PM ones. Cameron eats so little for dinner that I wonder if we'll be able to ever eliminate the 6:30 bottle!
I'm looking for validation, advice and commiseration....please tell me I will get back my happy, smiling, laughing baby sometime soon!
7 comments:
If you figure out how to get them to stop throwing food and crying PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me! Madison is driving me nuts!! Whine, whine, whine all day!
Welcome to toddlerhood, albeit a bit early (she must be precocious). The food throwing stops (or lessens really) after about 2-3 months. Keep doing what you are doing for food and don't worry about her. She'll eat when she is hungry and you are not a short order cook. Ned went almost 2 weeks without eating much of anything. He's fine. Call your pediatrician if you don't believe me - it is very common and you shouldn't worry unless a month has gone by with little eating or drinking. Make sure her afternoon and AM snaks are very small (Ned won't eat dinner if his 3:30/4pm snack is too big). Given that she is having so many transitions I think you need to just do the sippy cup cold turkey - it may be confusing her with drawn out transitions. Keep as much of her routine in tact and tell her ahead of time what is coming although she won't understand.
Kids are hard, they kick our asses. Try to focus on the moments that are sweet - her laughter 10 mins after crying, how she seems to understand something new about a toy, etc. It is the only way you stay sane. That and working full time. :)
You guys are not giving me much to look forward to...
If you could answer the question of when bad phases end, you would make a bazillion dollars. I would pay that much right now to know when Nate will stop being my enemy.
we are right there with you! jake will pretty much eat goldfish and cheerios, and cheese! finally eating pasta and he also likes ranch dip. as long as he is getting his milk (cow's milk) i try not to freak out (too much). if the kid could get all his nutrition from the boob, he totally would! GOOD LUCK and happy birthday cameron!
I never understood why my mother told me her favorite time of day was when my brother and I were asleep. Then I had a beautiful baby who cooed and smiled. Then he became a whiny, crying toddler. Then I had another child, who did the same thing. Now I understand my mother's comment - go into her room and watch her sleep for just a minute or two at night. You will be reminded that somewhere under the snarling, sobbing, nashing baby is still your litle girl.
I still do this with the smelly, grumpy teenaged Oldest, and it keeps things in perspective. Good luck!
I agree with not stressing as much about the food. Don't worry so much about what you give her. Kids can get their fruit/veggie allotment in all fruits. It is not a problem. They will get all the nutrients they need. Does she eat cheese? Brady survived from age 1-2 on fruit and cheese. And now he has started eating all kinds of things, he eats salmon and chicken and has even started eating veggies.
Just keep offering her all of the things and don't stress about which ones she eats. I promise, she'll be fine and will change her eating habits as she gets older.
As for the whining, is she getting her molars? Molars are the frickin devil. Brady's been working on his 2-yr molars for like 4 months. No joke. When they hurt him, he is unbearable. Makes me crazy. I know that feeling of "where did my precious angel go?" She'll be back. I second the watch her while she sleeps suggestion. That's what I do to remind myself of how cute he is.
Post a Comment